Is suppurative otitis media serious?

Suppurative otitis media is actually a kind of moderate otitis media inflammation. It can actually affect our vision health. Especially for children, this disease is the most likely to occur. If it is not treated urgently, it may even cause hearing loss. Therefore, we must pay attention to timely prevention and treatment. Let's take a look at some introductions about suppurative otitis media.

Purulent otitis media is actually more common in children, so at this time parents must pay attention to their children's health and pay more attention to their physical health to effectively help them. They should do a good job of prevention, so as to reduce this unnecessary harm.

Is suppurative otitis media serious?

1 Clinical manifestations

Infants and young children are not afraid to complain about their pain, and often show symptoms such as scratching their ears, shaking their heads, and crying for unknown reasons. The systemic symptoms are severe, with fever, often accompanied by symptoms of gastrointestinal poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Because the petrosal suture of children under 2 years old has not yet closed, there are abundant vascular and lymphatic vessels connecting the middle ear mucosa and the dura mater. Therefore, acute suppurative inflammation of the middle ear can affect the adjacent dura mater and cause meningeal irritation signs.

2 Diagnosis

Otoscopy

In the early stage of the disease, the flaccid part of the tympanic membrane is congested, and radially dilated blood vessels can be seen around the handle of the hammer and the tense part. Subsequently, the eardrum becomes diffusely congested, swollen, and bulges outward, normal signs are difficult to discern, and small yellow spots can be seen locally. If the inflammation cannot be controlled in time, it will develop into tympanic membrane perforation. The perforation is usually very small at the beginning and difficult to see clearly. Only after the external ear is thoroughly removed can a pulsating bright spot be seen at the perforation, which is actually pus oozing out of the area. In the necrotic type, the eardrum dissolves rapidly, forming a large perforation.

Disease treatment

The principles of treatment are to control infection, clear drainage and eliminate the cause. Systemic treatment

Apply adequate antibiotics or other antibacterial drugs as early as possible to control the infection and ensure a complete cure. Generally, drugs such as penicillins and cephalosporins can be used. If early treatment is timely and appropriate, perforation of the eardrum can be prevented. After perforation, pus was collected for bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test. Refer to the results and use sensitive antibiotics. Antibiotics need to be used for about 10 days. Pay attention to rest and keep your bowels clear. Patients with severe systemic symptoms will be given supportive therapy such as fluid replacement. The tympanic membrane of children is thicker and less prone to perforation. To prevent the infection from spreading to the brain, myringotomy may be considered if necessary. Unobstructed drainage can shorten the course of the disease and prevent complications. If the mastoid air cells are ulcerated and pus is accumulated, mastoidectomy should be performed promptly.

In addition to affecting children's hearing, suppurative otitis media may also be complicated by some diseases. Therefore, these problems must be taken seriously and treated in a timely manner to reduce the harm to children and better help them maintain their own health.